The two Americans arrested in Venezuela and accused of trying to "invade" the South American country by sea to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro will be tried "fairly" by a Venezuelan court, the socialist leader said on Wednesday.
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Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, "have been charged and have confessed" to having organized this attempted "invasion" foiled on the night of Saturday to Sunday, Nicolas Maduro said at a press conference .
The two men, he continued, "are the subject of proceedings launched by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic", without however specifying the charges. "They are treated well," assured the socialist leader and "their trial will be conducted with full guarantees and in a fair manner".
A few hours earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, without taking responsibility for the operation, had assured that Washington would do everything to repatriate Luke Denman and Airan Berry.
An incursion of which Trump is the "direct chief"
According to Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump is the "direct leader of this maritime incursion" that the Chavist authorities say they foiled on Sunday morning on the coast of Venezuela, less than an hour from Caracas by road. And to show the video of an interrogation of Luke Denman carried out after his capture in which the young man explains that he was hired by another American, Jordan Goudreau, founder of a private security company called Silvercorp USA, to train men in Colombia, then invade Venezuela to overthrow Nicolas Maduro.
When the investigator asks him - in English - who is behind this operation, Luke Denman replies that it is Donald Trump.
Read also: Venezuela: Washington denounces a "disinformation campaign"
According to Venezuelan authorities, eight "mercenaries" were killed when the army and police "foiled" the operation on Sunday and 19 people were arrested. Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan justice system accuse the opponent Juan Guaido, whom the United States and more than 50 other countries consider as the acting president of Venezuela, of having recruited "mercenaries" with the funds blocked by American sanctions for foment this operation with Jordan Goudreau.
Asked about a possible arrest of Juan Guaido, Nicolas Maduro indicated that "it did not depend" on him, but on a decision of the Venezuelan justice.
American diplomacy believes that this "melodrama" could be part of a "major disinformation campaign" led by Caracas. "I can't share more information on what we know," said Mike Pompeo on Wednesday.